AlexYaniero

January26th,2016
PrideProjectTopic:3DAnimation

1. Whilewritingthepaper,whatdidyoulearnabouttheresearchprocess?
a. WhilewritingthePridepaper,Ilearnedimportantaspectsaboutresearch.I
learnedhowtoproperlyformatMLAstylepapers,fromstructuringmyworks
citedpagetopickingthecorrectfont.Ialsofiguredouthowtofindcredible
sourcesformyinformationusingsiteslikeNCWise,andorganizethesourcesinto
anannotatedbibliography.Ultimately,Idiscoveredthemostefficientand
effectivewayofwritinganextendedessay,specificallyinhowtoplanmywork
andconsequentlyapplythatplantoformulateacomprehensiveproductthat
reflectsmyoriginalintentionsanddemonstratesmyfamiliaritywiththetopic.
2. Howwastheresearchrelatedtoyourmentorhours?
a. TheresearchIconductedduringthepridepaperhelpedmegetmoreintimately
familiarandknowledgeableonmychosenvocation.ThedataIgatheredgaveme
ageneralideaofwhatmyexperiencemightbelike,aswellashowmuchtalent
anddedicationitwouldrequireofme.Theresearchgenerallypreparedmeforthe
workIwoulddowithmymentorwhatothersdo,andwhatIshoulddotomake
anexceptionalpieceofart.
3. Summarizethementorhoursthatyoucompleted.
a. Overthecourseofthisyear,Iwillhavespentapproximately100hoursworking
onmyPrideproduct.Around95%ofthistimehasbeenspentworkingwithmy
mentor,andhehelpedmelearnexactlywhatkindofdedicationandresolvethat
mycareerwouldtakebyteachingmeabouteveryaspectoftheentireprocess.I
wastaughthowtoplanmywork,howtorealizemyplan,howtofinalizemy
plan,andhowtofixmyvariousblundersandimprovemyabilitiesforlater
projects.ThetimeIspentwithmymentorwastimeIspentdiscoveringthebasic
outlineofmycareerandgainingknowledgethroughhandsonexperience.
4. How did working with yourmentoraffectyourunderstandingofthetopicandyour
developmentoftheproduct?
a. When meeting with my mentor, I learned about the process of creating an
animation through my mentors experience as well as the experienced I gained
while working with him on my own project. My mentorexplainedtomewhathe
learned in the industry, how it might have changed in recent years, and what he
knows about the current means of development. Additionally, he demonstrated
what future improvements in the software might mean for the industry and my
personalcareer.

5. Howdidcreatingaproductandcompletingthehourschallengeyoupersonally?
a. Completing my animation has taken me almost 100 hours. It has proved the
toughest challenge of my life, the pinnacle of my academicstruggle.Theamount
of time and effort I have invested, the countlessfailuresandglitchesthatplagued
me, and the pressure of completing a satisfactory product were the difficult parts
of this project. I tested mytalent, mypatience,andmyintelligencemultipletimes
inmeetingwithmymentorandfightingtofinishmyproductbythedeadline.
6. Doyoufeelpreparedacademicallyandemotionallyforthepresentation?
a. I feel academicallyandemotionallypreparedbeyondashadowofadoubt.Ihave
been preparing myself for thispresentationsincethebeginningofmysenioryear,
and the help I havereceivedfrommyteachershasfurtherfortifiedmyconfidence
in my academic and emotional state. This confidence comes from months of
dedicationandpassion,aswellasmyenvironmentssupport.
7. Howdidtheentireprocessstretchyouasalearnerandasanindividual?
a. This project has tested my outer limits asbothalearnerandanindividual.When
working, I encountered many obstacles that forced me to find my own way and
mature as a selfsustaining, competent adult.Ilearnedtodealwithfailure, howto
celebrate success, and how to control my ownfate.Here,Idecidedhowgoodmy
project was. I set the limits and the expectations, and I set them for myself. This
transformed me into an appreciative, passionate learner and a mature, capable
individual.
8. Describeanobstacleyouencounteredandhowyouovercameit.
a. I encountered an unparallelled amount of obstacles, physical and emotional.
Some were minor bothers, but others were detrimental and cataclysmic. Most of
the more disastrous obstacles I faced involved my animation software
malfunctioning in some fashion. One episode in specific took years off my life,
and involved something so trivial it pains me to even thinkofit.Uponreopening
a save of my animation, an error occurred for an unknown reason. It caused my
title text to expand at random,andthiswouldcrashtheprogram.Fixingthisissue
was actually incredibly simple, yet it took me and my mentor countless hours of
trial and error to find that painfully obvious solution. My mentor and I worked
together to test the various possible causes of the malfunction, but in the end, I
needed only to delete the text I had and remake it on a different save file. We
wasted countless hours finding a way to fixtheprogram,anditonlyneededtobe
deletedandredone.

9. Whatlifeskillsdidyouacquireandhowwilltheyhelpyouinthefuture?
a. In working on this project, I acquired several life skills. I learned how to be
patient, how to operate computers and computer software, how to valuedifferent
opinions, and how toimprovemyartisticabilityand refinemytalent.Theseskills
will help me get along with both man and machine in the realworld,collegeand
beyond. They might also help me become a well rounded individual that
appreciates the strengths ofothersandunderstandstheirweaknesses,andcan find
waystokeepimprovinghimselfandhispeers.
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do
differently?
a. If I could redo any part of my project, I would start over from scratch. Having
learned so many more efficient andimpressivetechniques,IbelieveIcouldmake
my animation at least twice asgood.Duetotimeconstraints,lackoffunding,and
personal inexperience, I am prevented from making certain improvements. With
the experience Ihavenow,themodels,camerawork,rigging,andediting couldbe
done far more effectively, and I would have more time to polish and refine my
artwork before the final deadline. Basically, I would redo what I have now, but
with the knowledge I currently possess,Iwouldlikelycuttheproductiontimefor
eachstageofdevelopmentbyroughlyonehalf.